Program Overview

Skills Advance Ontario (SAO) is part of the Employment Ontario (EO) suite of programs. It is a sector-based workforce development program that supports strategic partnerships between employers and employment and training service providers to address labour market needs in sectors impacted by trade disruptions, tariffs, and other global market shifts.

SAO supports jobseekers and incumbent workers in pursuing meaningful career pathways by offering sector-focused employment and training services that span entry-level through medium- and high-skilled roles. SAO can also be used to help train workers for job vacancies in high-potential sectors.

SAO helps employers access and retain a skilled and adaptable workforce to meet evolving labour demands, while enabling individuals, particularly those affected by economic disruptions, to upskill, reskill, and advance within high-potential sectors.

SAO is intended to:

• Support target sector workforce sustainability, resilience and development by funding partnerships that connect employers with the employment and training services they require;
• Help employers access and retain a skilled and adaptable workforce to meet evolving labour demands;
• Enable jobseekers and workers affected by economic disruptions, to upskill, reskill, and advance within high potential sectors;
• Support jobseekers and workers to pursue meaningful career pathways spanning entry-level through medium and high-skilled roles by helping them gain essential, technical and employability skills;
• Support workers to obtain or retain employment by providing them with sector specific employment and training services;
• Support training opportunities for workers on reduced hours; and,
• Connect jobseekers to employers with identified job vacancies or advancement opportunities if already employed.

Skills Advance Ontario (SAO) will form an integral part of the Employment Ontario (EO) suite of programs and is designed to complement EO’s broader service delivery model.

While EO currently provides a comprehensive, client centered continuum of employment and training services for individuals, SAO adds a targeted, sector based workforce development approach that responds directly to employers and emerging labour market challenges. This means SAO will function as a bridge between employer demand and EO service delivery, ensuring that training and employment services are aligned with real time labour market needs.

To be eligible to be a Transfer Payment (TP) Recipient, applicants must meet the requirements for either Employer-Led Agreements or Service Provider-Led Agreements and meet all eligibility criteria set out in the Guidelines.

Employer-Led Agreements

Employers may apply to be TP Recipients, provided that they are in active EI Work-Sharing agreements and/or can demonstrate on their SAO application that they have workers needing upskilling and reskilling that could help prevent job losses.

Applicants must fall under one of the following categories to apply under the Employer-Led Agreements stream:

• Employers on EI Work-Sharing agreements; or
• Employers who have new or incumbent employees requiring upskilling or reskilling training to prevent job losses in the targeted sectors; or
• Employers that have workforce development needs in high-potential sectors.

Successful Employer TP Recipients must work with educational institutions or other organizations equipped to deliver any training under the program.

Educational institutions for the purpose of the SAO program include publicly funded post-secondary institutions, career colleges that are in compliance with the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2025 school boards, and Indigenous institutes.

Service Provider-Led Agreements

Applicants must fall under one of the following categories to apply under the Service Provider-Led stream:

• Employment and training service providers; or
• Other organizations that design, manage, deliver or coordinate employment and training services and programs, supported by government funding

And must be one of the following types of organizations:

• Not-for-profit organizations and social agencies in Ontario, including Indigenous band offices and Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISETs) agreement holders.
• Municipalities and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs);
• Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs);
• Trade unions / union-affiliated organizations;
• Professional / Industry / sector associations;
• Local / regional Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade;
• Publicly assisted colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes in Ontario;
• Career colleges registered under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005;
• District School Boards;
• Indigenous organizations.

SAO participants must be:

• A minimum of 18 years old at the time of registration;
• A resident of Ontario;
• Legally entitled to work in Canada;
• An individual on EI, on an EI Work-Sharing agreement, or employed with a company that is directly or indirectly affected by tariffs and global market shifts. (non-EI eligible workers may also qualify to participate on an exceptional basis)
• An individual on EI who is looking to train or retrain in a high-potential sector (non-EI eligible workers may also qualify to participate on an exceptional basis)
• Meet the additional sector or workplace-specific requirements that may apply to each project or workplace (e.g. drug screening, criminal background checks, testing for manual dexterity or strength, technical skillsets); and,
• Meet any additional requirements deemed appropriate by the ministry.

Projects are expected to run for 12 months (i.e. the length of one fiscal year A TP recipient may be granted an extension of the term of their TP agreement, to be determined by the ministry on a case-by-case basis. The TP recipient seeking an extension must provide a rationale for the extension and, where applicable, the rationale for additional funding or expansion of scope.

There are no maximum or minimum funding amounts.

The ministry will review submitted applications and assess eligible applications against the program criteria outlined in the Guidelines. The ministry will have sole and absolute discretion to decide which eligible projects are funded.

Interested organizations should start by registering on Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON), Ontario’s online application system for grant funding. Registered organizations will then be able to access the ministry’s Service Provider Connect (SP-Connect) platform, from where they can complete and submit an application. All applications will be received and managed through SP-Connect.

The ministry will continuously accept and review applications starting February 27, 2026, and applications will be accepted until the allocated budget of the program is exhausted. Applicants can submit questions by writing to skillsadvanceontario@ontario.ca.

The ministry retains sole and absolute discretion to decide which eligible applications are selected for SAO program funding. Applicants selected by the ministry for funding will be contacted by the ministry to finalize project activities and a budget to be set out in a TPA.

The ministry will assess applications by evaluating against the following criteria:

• Alignment with priority sectors and sector needs
• Organizational Capacity
• Planned Activities
• Employer and Worker Services
• Budget

Each application is evaluated based on its own merit. Through the evaluation process, potential duplication, overlap, or risks will be identified.

Organizations that are eligible to apply to SAO and other Employment Ontario programs (EO), including those with an in-progress application to another EO program, are encouraged to apply to the program that best aligns with the needs of their application.

Prospective applicants should follow the steps below:

1. Review the guidelines to ensure you are eligible to apply.
2. Register for TPON if you haven’t already.
3. Registered organizations will then be able to access the ministry’s Service Provider Connect (SP-Connect) platform, from where they can complete and submit an application

The program guidelines are available on the Central Forms Repository and the application can be accessed by applicants through Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON). TPON is the Province of Ontario’s online application system for grant funding. TPON is the Province of Ontario’s online application system for grant funding.

Applicants must register with Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) to access the application form.

The ministry anticipates a decision in approximately three to six months after applicants have successfully submitted their application via SP Connect. This response time is subject to change based on the volume of applications received.

SAO is accepting applications starting February 27, 2026.

Yes. Applicants with general program related questions are encouraged to contact skillsadvanceontario@ontario.ca.

Applications can only be accepted through the ministry’s Service Provider Connect (SP-Connect) platform. Interested organizations should start by registering and logging on to Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON), Ontario’s online application system for grant funding. Registered organizations will then be able to access SP-Connect, from where they can complete and submit an application. Once logged into TPON, applicants can click on the SP Connect card and select the SAO hyperlink.

For assistance creating a TPON account, contact the TPON Customer Service Line through one of the following methods:

• Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding government and statutory holidays):
• Client care by phone 416-325-6691 or 1-855-216-3090
• TTY: 416-325-3408
• Toll-free TTY: 1-800-268-7095
• Email: TPONCC@ontario.ca

Available any time:

• GOBot chat function on TPON website

Information on eligibility activities and expenses can be found in the SAO Program Guidelines, Section 3.3 Funding.

After logging in with a My Ontario Account, applicants can register for Transfer Payment Ontario.

The following is needed to register:

• a Canada Revenue Agency Business Number (CRA BN). (If an applicant does not have a CRA BN, this should be confirmed by completing the CRA Program Account Checklist as part of the registration process)
• the organization’s legal name (i.e., the name printed on official documents, e.g., articles of incorporation or registered business applications)
• the organization’s operating name (i.e., the business name commonly used by an organization’s clients)
• contact information for at least two contacts within the organization, including one senior contact with signing authority (for example, a director, controller or CEO and another member of the organization)

To join an organization’s existing Transfer Payment Ontario profile, one of the following is required:

• the organization’s legal name (i.e., the name printed on official documents, e.g., articles of incorporation or registered business applications)
• the individual’s Canada Revenue Agency Business Number (CRA BN), if available
• the organization’s Transfer Payment Ontario Registration ID number

After registering an organization:

• the system will automatically place a request for standard access to Transfer Payment Ontario
• applicants will be notified by email on when they can access the system

Depending on volumes and peak times, it could take up to five business days to process a request.

Applicants are advised to register their organization and submit a request to access Transfer Payment Ontario.

Organizations interested in applying for funding from the Government of Ontario can find other opportunities on the “Available funding Opportunities” page on Ontario.ca.

Once registered with Transfer Payment Ontario, interested applicants can apply for funding opportunities.

On the Ontario.ca page, applicants can find more information about:

• application deadlines
• eligibility requirements
• program guidelines
• who to contact for more information about each funding opportunity
• how to get technical help

For all questions, please contact Transfer Payment Ontario Client Care from Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except for government and statutory holidays, at:

• Toll-free: 1-855-216-3090
• TTY: 416-325-3408
• Toll-free TTY: 1-800-268-7095
• Email: TPONCC@ontario.ca

Please include the following details for quicker service via email:

• the name of the program the inquiry is about
• the case or file number
• the name of the organization

For 24/7 assistance:

• Ask GOBot
• Refer to the resources in the Get help section

Applicants should write to skillsadvanceontario@ontario.ca if they encounter issues with the application.

Step 1: Creating a Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) account

Step 2: Registering an Organization or Joining an existing organization

Step 3: Requesting access to TPON Ontario

Step 4: Submitting for funding